Section 8.2 American Sign Language – Small Number and the Kit Foxes
Written by: Mark MacLean and Veselin Jungic Illustrated by: Jess Pollard The American Sign Language translation and narration by Dominique Ireland of the Oneida Nation of the Thames
Grandpa sat quietly in his chair in the corner, not showing his own excitement at the return of kit foxes to the area, where they had not been seen since his father was a young man. Grandma came in and closed the curtains, causing the children to look up from their game as the room darkened. The children knew it would soon be time for them to go to bed, and so they excitedly started pestering their grandmother with questions about the kit foxes to distract her.
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Grandpa had a sparkle in his eye as he took up their cause and played along: “Yes, Grandma, tell us about the kit foxes.”
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Grandma gave Grandpa a stern look that would have frozen water in mid-summer before it dissolved into a soft smile as she sat in her chair and looked down at the children who had gathered at her feet.
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“Young kit foxes always obey their parents. Always.” Small Number blushed when he realized his grandmother was looking directly at him. He tried hard to believe that a slight turn of a smile appeared on her face before she released him from her gaze and went back to her story.
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“No, not everyday,” she replied. “When she goes hunting, they will stay behind in the den and wait for her. They know not to leave the den when she is gone. The pups won't come out of the den at all until they are old enough.”
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“But what about the boy kit fox, Grandma? Doesn't he love the girl kit fox and want to stay with her?” interrupted Perfect Number. Small Number rolled his eyes. His sister always seemed to talk about boys lately.
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“Soon. The den where she lives is not big enough to have the boy kit fox in it, too, when she has their pups, so he will live nearby and want to see her as often as he can. But she will only come out to hunt, and so he must be patient.” She looked over at Grandpa, who smiled and nodded his head.
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“He will want to see her again under the full moon to share their remembrance of the joy of this day, the day they have returned home. He knows how many days he must wait and he makes a scratch in the wall of his den for each day that passes so that he can keep track of the time.”
Grandma looked down and said nothing for a while. She was thinking for a long time. The children started fidgeting, but stopped when she looked up.
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Small Number cocked his head and looked puzzled: “How do you know that, Grandma?”
“How often is that, Grandma?” the children said in unison.
She did not say anything because she saw the children were trying to work out the answer.
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“I know! I know!” shouted Perfect Number. She jumped up, ran to Grandma, and climbed onto her lap. She whispered something in Grandma's ear so only she could hear her.
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Question: If kit fox leaves her den at a regular intervals, how often does the kit fox leave her pups to come up to hunt?
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